Education through sport

IOC World Conference kicks off in Amsterdam

The Maritime Museum in Amsterdam was the impressive backdrop for yesterday’s opening ceremony of the 8th IOC World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture, which is bringing together more than 500 delegates from 110 countries.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said on this occasion: “This 8th World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education is a great chance to share ideas on how to tap the full potential of the power of sport to be a force for good. We will explore new ways to engage young people in a rapidly changing world. We will reassert the educational and cultural power of sport.”

Young people engaged in the Conference

The two-day discussions concern the policies, practice and potential of sport and Olympism as they relate to culture and education. The Conference includes a number of young people who will share their ideas on several occasions with the other participants.

Danny Boyle receives IOC award

At the Conference opening, Danny Boyle, Artistic Director for the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, was announced as the winner of the prestigious IOC OlympiArt Award, a decoration given to an artist from the host country of the Games of the Olympiad and aimed at strengthening the link between the arts and the Games. Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, was in Amsterdam to receive the award on Boyle’s behalf.

Prizes for Sport and Art contest winners

The opening ceremony was also a fitting occasion to award the winners of the IOC Sport and Art contest. This year’s fourth edition included more than 60 artists who shared their vision of “Sport and the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect” through their graphic works and sculptures, demonstrating the creative and artistic strength that sport can inspire. The winning works, including one from 18 year-old Luisa Balaban from Romania, were already exhibited in London’s Guildhall Art Gallery during the Olympic Games this summer: